EBACE - THE HIGH END OF BUSINESS AVIATION HAS A NEW EVEREST - Convention News
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EBACE
June 2021
Convention News PUBLICATIONS
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THE HIGH END OF
BUSINESS AVIATION
HAS A NEW EVEREST.
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EBACE
June 2021
Convention News PUBLICATIONS
A GREEN FLIGHT PLAN FOR BIZAV
Sustainability
Erik Lindbergh urges
bizav to step up › page 4
by Chad Trautvetter
Manufacturing
If it weren’t for the pandemic, EBACE 2021 second-largest business aircraft fleet— has made enormous progress,” NBAA presi-
would have been held in person last month carbon neutral by 2050. And the U.S.—the dent and CEO Ed Bolen told AIN as EBACE Supply chain issues drag
and the prevailing topic would have been largest business aviation market—could be Connect was winding down. “Looking to
sustainability. Still, this issue was reflected close behind in setting emissions goals. the future, SAF is the cornerstone to achiev- on market › page 14
in the virtual EBACE Connect, with six of Fortunately, business aviation leaders saw ing our emissions goals as both a solution
its 11 sessions having all or a major portion
of their discussion focused on sustainability
this coming more than a decade ago. In 2009,
NBAA, EBAA and other organizations sought
for today and the bridge to the emission-
reducing technologies of tomorrow.”
Operations
in business aviation. Additionally, a virtual to reduce business aviation’s carbon emis- Sustainability topics covered at EBACE Brexit effects worse than
European Business Aviation Sustainable sions via the Business Aviation Commitment Connect included SAF and other alternative
Aviation Fuel (SAF) Summit was held in late on Climate Change. This initiative pledged fuels such as hydrogen, electric aircraft, new expected› page 31
April as a run-up to EBACE Connect. a 2 percent improvement in efficiency per technology, and carbon credits. You’ll find
Though Covid-19 is still an immediate year from 2010 to 2020, with carbon-neutral summaries of these sessions and stories
concern, the business aviation communi- growth from 2020 onward and a 50 percent about a range of other topics affecting the
Asia-Pac
ty’s next biggest hurdle is the environment. reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. business aviation community in Europe and The outlook for bizav in
In fact, the European Green Deal seeks “Business aviation has long been focused on elsewhere in this special edition of EBACE
to make Europe—which has the world’s emissions reduction, and to date the industry Convention News. n Asia › page 35
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Lindbergh pushes bizav’s
environmental leadership
by Charles Alcock
In the May 18 keynote presentation at need to move in that direction.”
EBACE Connect, aviator and philan- Lindbergh also confirmed his inten-
thropist Erik Lindbergh challenged the tion to mark the centenary of the first
business aviation sector to step up its solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927 by
leadership role in making the industry his grandfather, Charles Lindbergh. He
more environmentally sustainable. He told the EBACE Connect audience that
told NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen he aims to make the flight from New
that the Charles and Anne Morrow Lind- York to Paris in a low- or zero-carbon Erik Lindbergh (right) addressed the keynote session of the EBACE Connect event with NBAA
bergh Foundation will roll out a series aircraft, adding that a hybrid-electric president and CEO Ed Bolen.
of prizes to incentivize innovation model will probably prove to be the most
towards carbon neutrality through its feasible option. completely new missions like eVTOL fuels (SAF). “There will be new biofu-
ForeverFlight initiative, which is backed The EBACE Connect keynote ses- and eSTOL,” he maintained. “Over the els, and potentially hydrogen and other
by the X Prize Foundation and its $100 sion also featured advocacy for electric next five to 10 years, these new aircraft alternative fuels like ammonia but these
million funding from Elon Musk. aircraft and new fuels and propulsion will change the way we move around the are new and unproven,” he commented.
“We will have multiple prizes to systems. Lindbergh, who is chairman planet, starting with short and medium- “SAF has shifted from using palm fuels
overcome barriers [to its net and true of hybrid-electric propulsion pioneer range missions.” and now companies are taking fuel
zero-carbon goals], and we’re not sit- VerdeGo Aero, encouraged business avia- While the new aircraft are working stocks that are more sustainable. This
ting in the back waiting for something tion executives to be part of this new wave. their way towards service entry, Lind- is the bridge that will get us to these
to happen that we might not like,” said “The advent of electric distributed bergh endorsed Bolen’s call for business other fuels and crazy new batteries, so
Lindbergh. “Europe is leading the way in propulsion and the ability to put thrust aviation to continue to be at the van- we have to use what we have now and
sustainability issues and we in the U.S. anywhere on an airframe lets you have guard for adopting sustainable aviation slowly transfer to what’s coming.” n
Scientists leave no stone principles to seek progress that aims to
support sustainability at every stage. With
this in mind, Anita Sengupta, a former
Shell now IBAC’s
first European
unturned for sustainability NASA engineer who has launched a hydro-
gen fuel cell developer called Hydroplane,
argued that electric batteries for aircraft
PS3 enrollee
by Charles Alcock are not “an evolutionary path” because of Shell Aircraft has become the first oper-
how they are produced and disposed of at ator in Europe to enroll in the Interna-
What will it take to make aviation more aerospace group is leaving no stone the end of their useful life. tional Business Aviation Council’s (IBAC)
environmentally sustainable? Just about unturned in the quest for sustainability, California-based Hydroplane is work- new International Standard for Busi-
anything and everything seemed to be with teams also working in fields such ing on a new hydrogen fuel cell system ness Aircraft Operators (IS-BAO) Pro-
the answer from a May 19 EBACE Connect as quantum computing and sensing, as to power aircraft operated on shorter gressive Stage 3 (PS3) program. IBAC
session on the issue. well as biomimicry (looking for inspi- regional routes. According to Sengupta, launched the PS3 option in 2020 after
The EBACE audience heard how Air- ration from birds and insects). The one her team could be ready for an initial flight a beta team of operators designed and
bus has scientists with its BlueSky team propulsion technology she did rule out test on an unspecified aircraft within 18 tested the program over two years.
tapping microbiology for techniques was nuclear energy due to the harmful months, and could potentially be available PS3 allows operators to access
such as using microbes and enzymes to waste it generates. to start operating “in a European island the Stage 3 safety system, share data,
“brew” new aircraft fuels using waste The Munich, Germany-based Airbus nation” by around 2023 or 2024. and take advantage of opportunities
that can’t otherwise be cleanly disposed scientist’s message was closely echoed by Sebastiano Fumero, an advisor with to mentor and share best practices.
of. According to senior research project other speakers, who called on business the European Commission (EC), said that IBAC calls the one-day Progressive
leader Patricia Parleviet, the European aviation to channel circular economic organization has launched a consultation auditing process—featuring a creden-
with alternative fuel producers to encour- tialed Progressive auditor based in the
age new ways to increase production rates operator’s region—a key benefit.
for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). “With Shell Aviation became IS-BAO
what we hope will be a fast recovery [from Stage 1 in 2004 and progressed to
Covid] for the industry, it will be hard to Stage 3 in 2007. Shell Aircraft oper-
make enough for aviation,” he said. ates three Dassault Falcon 8Xs based
According to Fumero, the EC’s new in the Netherlands and it offsets its
public-private joint undertaking is appeal- emissions using carbon credits.
ing for new ideas and partners not only “We are so glad to see this new PS3
from within aviation but also from the concept come together and excited
energy sector and other industries. He said about integrating it into our depart-
that European regulators also are consider- ment,” said Shell director of corpo-
ing plans to require a minimum percentage rate aviation, Stan Medved. “Sharing
of SAF to be blended with jet-A. n important safety data and spending
more time with the progressive audi-
tor will provide more learning oppor-
tunities on both sides, providing a
EBACE Connect’s sustainability session was moderated by Rohit Jaggi (top left), deputy editor more collaborative environment that
of the Financial Times. Participants included Airbus scientist Patricia Parleviet (lower left), YO U R S O U R C E F O R AV I AT I O N N E W S
will allow us to further strengthen our
Hydroplane CEO Anita Sengupta (top right), and European Commission advisor Sebastiano www.ainonline.com
safety culture.” G.P.
Fumero (lower right).
4 EBACE Convention News \ June 2 0 2 1 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m E - N E W S L E T T E R F O R B U S I N E S S AV I AT I O N
www.ainonline.com/alerts
W W W. H O N D A J E T. C O M
C O N T I N U O U S
I N N O V A T I O N
I T ’ S I N O U R D N A
At Honda Aircraft Company, continuous innovation is fundamental
to who we are and the spirit with which we were founded. It’s the
f u l f i l l m e nt of a d re a m a n d t h e t ra n s fo r m at i o n of a co n ce pt to re a l i t y,
resulting in products which challenge expectations.
We a re e x c i t e d t o a n n o u n c e t h e n e x t i t e r a t i o n o f H o n d a J e t b o r n f ro m
t h i s p h i l o s o p hy, t h e E l i te S . T h e n ew E l i te S ex p a n d s o p e rat i o n a l
c a p a b i l i t y t h ro u g h i n c re a s e d p ay l o a d ra n g e a n d e n h a n ce d te c h n o l o g y.
Coupled with bold new styling, the Elite S allows owners and operators
to deploy HondaJet’s class leading efficiency to new destinations.
Cloughley said operators will be able to air taxi services, mainly due to its insis-
reconfigure the interior for these different tence on going straight to autonomous
roles in little more than 15 minutes. operations. He also confirmed that the
Pipistrel chief technology officer Tine company will soon unveil plans for what
Tomazic revealed plans for three differ- it calls its “sixth-generation” aircraft,
ent versions of the Slovenian company’s and this is expected to be a larger, longer-
planned Miniliner family of electric aircraft. range eVTOL model.
The standard model would carry a single Meanwhile, flight testing of the Cora
pilot and up to 19 passengers and be able to is continuing in New Zealand, where Dal-
operate from 2,600-foot runways, flying four ton said Wisk is enjoying a high degree of
220-mile missions on a single charge (with a cooperation from the government, indus-
Faradair Aerospace’s Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft will be able to carry up to 18 passengers or 45-min diversion margin for each trip). try partners such as Air New Zealand, and
carry cargo on utility missions. “It is like a minibus and will have 40 local communities. This is allowing it to
percent lower direct operating costs than evaluate the autonomous, all-electric
today’s commuter aircraft, and it will be model in controlled airspace alongside
Advanced air mobility much quieter,” said Tomazic. He argued
that by taking the AAM approach, avia-
tion can be far more productive, becom-
other aircraft.
Germany’s Volocopter, which on Mon-
day announced its own plans for a new
pioneers present to bizav ing “more like the fast-food industry than
a Michelin-starred restaurant that is still
peeling potatoes with a scalpel.”
eVTOL model called the VoloConnect,
also participated in the EBACE Connect
session. CEO Florian Reuter said that the
by Charles Alcock Later this year, Pipistrel will begin multirotor architecture of its aircraft is
flight testing its new four-seat Panthera low risk from a certification point of view
The business aviation community got a “We are going to see a democratization 152 aircraft. This is program is being sup- because its 18 rotors, each with their own
virtual introduction to some of the pio- of the regional air travel model,” CEO Neil ported by the European Union’s Mahepa electric motor, provide a high degree of
neers of so-called advanced air mobil- Cloughley told the EBACE Connect audi- program and will start operating with safety redundancy.
ity (AAM) during an EBACE Connect ence. “Covid has brought a huge oppor- hybrid-electric propulsion before transi- According to Reuter, Volocopter pri-
session on May 18. Speakers from four tunity. We’re seeing a lot more interest in tioning to all-electric power at a later date. marily conceived its eVTOL aircraft to be
electric aircraft developers explained sustainability and new business models From California, Dan Dalton, v-p operated autonomously but took a stra-
how their plans to transform the air because technology is proving itself [in for global partnerships with Wisk Aero, tegic decision to put a pilot on board to
transport business model have made terms of value to society].” reported that progress with the startup’s fast-track commercial operations, requir-
strong progress while other aviation According to Cloughley, MagniX’s Cora two-seat, autonomous aircraft has ing the addition of a control stick. “When
sectors have been held back by the Magni500 electric motors will have been boosted with expertise supplied by we first talked with the regulators, they
Covid-19 pandemic. achieved certification in time for the first Boeing and its Aurora Flight Sciences sub- asked how we could be sure that flight
In the UK, Faradair Aerospace is about full-scale BEHA prototype to start test sidiary. Boeing, which co-owns the Wisk testing would be safe and we were able to
to complete the design of its Bio Electric flights in 2024. Honeywell is supplying a joint venture with Kitty Hawk, last year show them failure modes from hundreds
Hybrid Aircraft (BEHA) and start struc- turbogenerator that will be able to run on said it would wrap up its Boeing Next tech- of flights [made with the autonomous
tural engineering work. Over the past sustainable aviation fuel and/or jet-A. nology incubator project, which had been control system] to demonstrate how the
eight months, the company has added The company hopes to achieve Part 23 working on several eVTOL designs. Evi- [flight] computer dealt with them,” he
major new partners, including propulsion type certification by the end of 2026 and dently, this move has freed up expertise that explained. “This gave them a lot of com-
providers Honeywell and MagniX, as well by 2030 expects to have at least 300 of the is now being redirected to Wisk’s program. fort before we even put a pilot on board,
as expanded its workforce at a new head- 18-seat aircraft in commercial service, with Dalton acknowledged that Wisk likely so there is definitely a paradigm shift
quarters at Duxford airfield. a mix of passenger and cargo missions. will not be the first to start commercial [towards autonomy].” n
ACH deals with challenging
but resilient market
by Jerry Siebenmark
While Airbus Corporate Helicopters our customers and still continue to accom-
(ACH) had to navigate the global pan- pany those wanting to acquire a helicopter.”
demic in 2020, the company managed to Lemos noted that the company has
“maintain a good level of bookings” by net- developed a 70 percent share in the yacht-
ting 62 orders for the year, which is down ing market with its ACH135 and ACH145
by about 10 percent from the previous models primarily satisfying that niche.
two years, said Frederic Lemos, head of Demand in that market should remain
ACH. Even with the softened demand, that robust, he added, as 78 yacht projects
means “we’ve been grabbing market share with helidecks are in the pipeline. “Yacht-
from the competition,” added Lemos, who ing as a whole has also been pretty much
reviewed the company’s business activi- resilient,” he added. “Customers [are] Airbus Corporate Helicopters has developed a 70 percent share in the yachting market with
ties on the eve of May’s EBACE Connect. looking more and more to isolate on their its ACH135 and ACH145 models primarily satisfying that niche.
While the pandemic has prevented yachts…and it’s probably what they will do
many face-to-face meetings with custom- next summer, trying to have more privacy Lemos also briefly reviewed the able to exchange and progress and make
ers because of travel restrictions, the per- and not mixing with large crowds.” ACH ACH160 program. While the all- the necessary flight tests,” he said, “but
sonal and business aviation sector “has is considered “a trusted adviser” in the composite intermediate twin received we are in this mode of delivery progress
demonstrated a great resilience.” With yachting market, a reputation developed EASA type certification in July, its FAA and certification and will indeed this
28 Airbus Helicopters customer centers through interactions in the early stage of type certification has been hampered year deliver the aircraft.” He said the
around the world, “we’ve been able to yacht construction with designers, manu- by Covid. “It’s been even more difficult first U.S. copy of the ACH160 will go to
maintain a certain level of proximity with facturers, and customers, he said. because of these travel restrictions to be a customer in New York. n
6 EBACE Convention News \ June 2 0 2 1 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m
aims for the smaller VoloCity aircraft to
begin commercial operations before the
end of 2023, with Paris and Singapore still
likely to be the cities in which its air taxi
services launch. He said the company has
ambitions to build and operate as many as
100,000 aircraft.
Earlier this year, Volocopter raised a fur-
ther $240 million in its latest private funding
Volocopter’s new round, taking its total capital raised since
VoloConnect eVTOL its launch in 2011 to almost $400 million.
aircraft will have a “We see huge interest, including from the
range of up to around public investment community, and we are
60 miles. confident we can raise the necessary [fur-
ther] funding,” Reuter said. “We are having
interesting conversations with numerous
investors for different [investment] routes.”
Volocopter launches larger, range and payload. All three models will fea- Several of Volocopter’s rival eVTOL
ture batteries that can be quickly swapped developers have announced plans to raise
between flights, but the company has yet to significant amounts of funding through
longer-range eVTOL aircraft demonstrate this capability. initial public offerings via mergers with
“We can now cover all segments of special purpose acquisition companies.
the $290 billion urban air mobility mar- Volocopter has long been rumored to be
by Charles Alcock ket,” Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter told considering this approach as well. n
reporters. “We will offer a seamless end-
Volocopter has announced plans to bring several patents for the technology used. to-end customer experience through our For more information about the advanced
a larger, longer-range eVTOL aircraft into The aircraft features a wing connected to VoloIQ digital platform.” air mobility industry see our special report
operation by 2026 to serve markets beyond a V-shaped tail by a pair of parallel beams Volocopter sees the VoloCity aircraft on page 42.
those addressed by its VoloCity model. supporting six sets of electric motors and accounting for $110 billion in revenues
The all-electric VoloConnect will have four rotors. To the rear of the fuselage, there is a from urban services by 2035, with the
seats, with a range of up to 60 miles and pair of ducted fans to support cruise flight. VoloConnect operations between cit-
a cruise speed of 110 mph (rising to a top Like the two-seat VoloCity, Volocopter ies bringing in an additional $60 billion.
speed of around 155 mph). intends to certify the VoloConnect under The company anticipates that the Volo- Charter experts
Unveiling the new lift-and-push con- EASA’s new Special Conditions-VTOL rules. Drone will generate $120 billion in reve-
cept during the EBACE Connect event on The VoloCity is limited to a range of just 22 nues by that time, including $50 billion discuss market
May 18, the German company said its engi-
neering team, led by chief engineer Sebas-
miles and a speed of 60 mph. The company is
also developing an autonomous freight-car-
from “on-site transport,” $30 billion from
“urban parcel” deliveries, and $40 billion
after pandemic
tian Mores, has been working on the design rying version called the VoloDrone, which for flights in remote areas. As the Covid pandemic begins to
for more than two years and has filed will have the same performance in terms of Reuter confirmed that the company fade, more new customers have been
drawn to private aviation, particularly
charter. In an EBACE Connect panel on
May 18, experts examined what they
Guidor app helps fleets fly efficiently believe are issues facing the industry.
Ian Moore—chief commercial offi-
cer of VistaJet, which purchased XOJet
by Matt Thurber last year—sees an opportunity for light
business jet/short-haul flights as com-
Toulouse, France-based Skyconseil is offer- overlays and also a vertical depiction to help mercial airlines have contracted their
ing EBACE Connect participants a free six- pilots choose an optimum altitude. Users routes. “We feel that that area and that
month trial of its Guidor software, which can slide back and forward in time to see market is something that the XO brand
helps dispatchers and flight crew optimize how the weather changes in relation to the can go after in a combination of work-
flight paths to avoid hazardous weather and aircraft’s past or projected position. Built-in ing with the operators that already
improve efficiency and situational aware- tools let users optimize the route by chang- have light jets in that market but also
ness. Guidor is available for Apple iOS and ing waypoints, altitude, and speed to see adding light jets ourselves.”
Windows devices, although full functional- how that affects fuel consumption. He ties the growth that the market
ity is currently possible only with iOS. How- Airports are shown with color-coded has experienced over the past year to
ever, the company does plan to add the full Skyconseil’s Guidor app is designed to help graphics to indicate weather conditions, clients who have tried private aviation
feature set to its Windows version. operators reduce aircraft emissions. and Guidor shows a constantly updated for the first time. “It’s all of our jobs to
According to Skyconseil, while world- dynamic list of airports with the flight keep them in the industry,” Moore said.
wide aviation traffic decreased significantly information management provider M-click, time to each, in case a diversion becomes Bernhard Fragner, CEO of Austria-
during the Covid pandemic, projections call and connectivity expert Atmosphere to pro- necessary. Users can also hand draw a “no- based light jet operator GlobeAir,
for traffic levels to resume climbing. This vide services to Guidor users. go” area on the map, and Guidor will auto- spoke about factors concerning
will make it difficult for the aviation indus- The Guidor app helps pilots view matically route around that restriction. “one-click” charter pricing, noting that
try to meet objectives for emissions reduc- detailed information about weather Guidor isn’t just for pilots; it can be the European market is very supply-
tions by 2050. At the same time, hazardous phenomena, including real-time turbu- deployed with ground-based decision- driven. He suggested the estab-
weather remains a serious threat and will lence, and it is updated automatically via support personnel such as dispatchers. lishment of a centralized inventory
become increasingly challenging due to onboard airborne connectivity systems. Companies can also use Guidor to track database. “Our pricing varies roughly
impacts from global warming. Aircraft position information is plotted a fleet of aircraft. 20 percent up and down depending
To mitigate these problems, Skyconseil’s on the Guidor moving map, delivered via Skyconseil estimates that flight opera- on the demand,” he said, adding that
Guidor app is designed to help customers external GPS connected to the iPad or tions that use Guidor can lower operating variables such as crew availability
fly optimized trajectories and adjust flight from an aircraft interface device that is costs by an average of 1 percent and also must also be considered, in addition
plans dynamically to adapt to rapidly chang- connected to the aircraft’s avionics. reduce carbon emissions significantly. to aircraft costs. “This is a real-time
ing weather. Skyconseil has partnered with Guidor shows both a moving-map display Guidor can be used anywhere in the world, pricing factor,” he added. C.E.
IBM’s Weather Company, aeronautical with the flight-planned route and weather according to Skyconseil. n
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London Oxford Airport adds News Clips
VistaJet Aims To Be Flexjet’s Operations Go Carbon-
15th hangar, new fuel farm Carbon-neutral by 2025
VistaJet has not only committed to
becoming the first carbon-neutral
neutral in U.S., Europe
Flexjet’s year-to-date flight operations in
the U.S. have been carbon-neutral and
by Curt Epstein business aviation operator by 2025, but those in Europe have been carbon-negative
also released a white paper as a roadmap through its partnership with 4AIR and at
London Oxford Airport (EGTK) has serve tenants such as Airbus Helicopters for the broader aviation industry to no additional cost to its customers, the
embarked on a major infrastructure (whose UK headquarters is on the field) go beyond its current goal of a 50 fractional provider announced. Flexjet has
development project, the centerpiece of and other rotorcraft operators, as well as percent emissions reduction by 2050. been purchasing verified credits via 4AIR
which will be the airport’s 15th hangar. complement operations at the co-owned “The industry as a whole must step up that fund solar, wind, and other projects that
When completed in the third quarter, the Edmiston London Heliport, the capitol’s to combat climate change and its impact offset carbon emissions from its flights.
6,000-sq-m (63,000-sq-ft) structure will only CAA-licensed heliport. today—it’s the right thing to do and In the U.S., Flexjet said, it will offset
include two bays with offices and work- In addition, a new fuel farm will qua- we all have to act now,” urged VistaJet an estimated 400,000 tonnes of carbon
shops and will be capable of sheltering up druple the storage capacity of the original founder and chairman Thomas Flohr. emissions this year alone. Meanwhile, Flexjet
to six large-cabin business jets. facility while also providing future stor- The company plans to meet its target by Europe is offsetting 300 percent of the
The UK facility will be used predomi- age space for sustainable aviation fuel. A offering a certified carbon offset program; carbon dioxide equivalent for every flight to
nantly by the airport’s established tenants, centrally located fire station is under con- adopting the use of more sustainable reflect CO2 emissions and other pollutants,
many of which are currently occupying struction as well. aviation fuels (SAF); adding more efficient including water vapor, aerosol sulphate,
WWII-era hangars, as well as for space to “In a new post-pandemic economic aircraft to its charter fleet; and using more and nitrous oxides. The company is also
store larger business jets, which has been environment, it’s crucial that the UK sustainable in-flight products. Further, working with 4AIR to offer shareowners the
limited at EGTK. Those eight-decade-old ramps up its capacity to provide growth the company has pledged to move to option of upgrading their environmental
hangars will be progressively replaced and further employment, especially in use renewable electricity at its facilities commitment by using sustainable aviation
with new ones based on customer demand, high value, high-skilled and knowledge- and will publish annual greenhouse gas fuel for their flights where it is available.
according to the airport, which is home to based industrial sectors,” said Will accounting and climate risk reports. “Flexjet has long been on the leading edge
several MRO operations. To further sup- Curtis, the airport’s managing director, VistaJet’s carbon offset program of applying innovation to its operations,
port their activities, London Oxford has adding that the timing of the develop- introduced in January 2020 has already and our partnership with 4AIR brings that
bolstered its electrical grid, allowing “sig- ment is crucial as business aviation and helped to make big gains toward the same spirit to protecting the environment,”
nificantly more power onto the site.” aerospace are set to rebound. “Now that carbon-neutrality goal, with 80 percent of said Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro. “In
While the airport has also expanded its we have put in the infrastructure for its customers opting to purchase carbon supporting carbon offset projects around
ramp to make room for more aircraft park- growth, we can build further facilities credits to offset aircraft emissions on their the world, Flexjet can offer peace of mind
ing, it also recently added seven new ICAO/ with relative ease and speed and further flights. The company has also removed that today’s efforts are having an immediate
EASA/CAA-compliant helipads, which will bolster employment opportunities.” n more than 90 percent of single-use items positive impact on the environment.”
across its fleet and replaced them with
sustainable alternatives. Additionally, it DC Aviation Joins EBAA
partnered with SkyNRG in September Networking Program
to increase global access to SAF and Stuttgart, Germany-based DC Aviation
invested in flight-optimization technology has joined the European Business
that has reduced fuel consumption by Aviation Association’s (EBAA) peer-
an average of 8 percent per flight. networking Ambassador program. The
program allows industry leaders to
Munich Airport Greenlights participate in closed workshops and
Sustainable Fuel forums to address pressing issues and
As of June 1, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) opportunities for business aviation.
is now continuously available at Germany’s “It is extremely encouraging to see
Munich Airport as part of its pledge to that several leading business aviation
become CO2 neutral by 2030. The blended companies have joined together to make
drop-in fuel is being delivered to the an additional commitment to EBAA and
A new 6,000-sq-m hangar under construction at the UK’s London Oxford Airport will add airport’s 42,200-cu-m tank farm by various the industry,” said EBAA secretary-general
much-needed large business aircraft shelter to the airport and the London-area in general. fuel providers on behalf of the airlines. It Athar Husain Khan. “We look forward to
then travels via a 17-km pipeline to the working closely with our Ambassadors
airport ramp, where it is pumped into the towards improving the industry and society.”
airplanes by fuel farm manager Skytanking Complementing the initiative, the newly
Munich and other refueling services. launched virtual platform ambassador.
Embraer appoints new UK service center Both commercial and private aircraft ebaa.org will share stories about EBAA
draw from that same fuel supply, but Ambassadors, celebrate their achievements,
Embraer has appointed Jets Bour- said Frank Stevens, Embraer’s MRO global FBOs at the airport such as ExecuJet and and allow space for discourse on making a
nemouth as its newest authorized ser- v-p of services and support. Signature Flight Support will not be able change for the better. So far, 15 companies
vice center supporting Phenom 100 and Founded 17 years ago, Jets also holds to offer the environmental credits for the have joined the program, including leading
300 light jets. Located at Bournemouth Part 145 approval for Hawker 700s through SAF usage to their customers as the fuel OEMs, trip planners, operators, and
International Airport in southern England, 900XPs, as well as Bombardier Challenger is being purchased by the airlines, which service and maintenance companies.
the EASA Part 145 repair station will per- 600-series aircraft. “We are delighted to will be entitled to receive the emissions- “DC Aviation has been a supporter of
form scheduled and unscheduled main- enter the next chapter of our relationship accounting benefits from that fuel. EBAA’s work for many years,” said DC
tenance, component and part exchange, with Embraer, being chosen as the latest “By approving our refueling facilities for Aviation CEO Michael Kuhn. “We are fully
and inspections at different levels of com- authorized service center in the UK,” said sustainable aviation fuel, we are enabling aligned with their goals and are extremely
plexity for customers in Europe, Middle Jets CEO and accountable manager Daniel airlines to reduce their CO2 emissions,” said happy to take our support to the next level
East, and Africa. Rogers. “Jets looks forward to providing Munich Airport CEO Jost Lammers, adding by becoming an EBAA Ambassador. Being
“This new partnership with Jets…will help industry-leading service from AOG and that “green fuels” have a key role to play an ambassador allows us to show our
to bolster the network of the ever-increasing line support through to heavy base main- on the way to complete decarbonization commitment to the industry and gives us a
fleet in the Western European region, offer- tenance that ensures the Phenom family of of air transport. “We expect the share platform to showcase such projects as the
ing an additional option for maintenance of aircraft remain the best-selling business jet of these sustainable fuels in total energy efficient [lighting] upgrade in the hangar
the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 aircraft,” in its class for many years to come.” J.S. consumption in aviation to increase in Stuttgart, the Covid spectrometer, and
continuously in the coming years.” Covid-19 testing at our facility in Dubai.”
10 EBACE Convention News \ June 2 0 2 1 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o mEVENTS
!"#$%#&'()(*"*+)#&)!$,(
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!"56786)9"-:+"*,**.":#5!4,SEA Prime departure at the Milano Prime terminals
at Linate and Malpensa. Through this
agreement, passengers and crewmem-
weathers the bers can also arrange this service at their
hotel or at home and have easy access to
medical services provided by San Donato.
Covid storm As a result of the pandemic, and in rec-
ognition of the levels of health and safety
offered, Milano Prime is now able to offer
by Curt Epstein its terminal services at Malpensa to pas-
sengers traveling on commercial charter
Business Aviation in Italy continued its flights, such as sports teams. Thus far
recovery in the first four months of 2021 it has handled approximately 150 such
with year-over-year activity that was flights, consisting of 6,000 passengers,
nearly 37 percent above the depths it said Marco Funel, SEA Prime’s commer-
reached in early 2020, when the Covid-19 cial manager. In another indication of
pandemic was starting to reach full effect activities slowly returning to normal, in
in the country and lockdowns were taking June the company will hold its first static After the darkest days of the Covid pandemic, Milano Prime and its parent company SEA Prime
place across Europe. aircraft display at Linate since before the are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
“That is remarkable, considering Janu- pandemic hit.
ary and February 2020 were pre-pandemic “In the first phase of the crisis, our focus Lastly, to accommodate the needs of While Sirio—which was purchased by
months,” said Chiara Dorigotti, CEO of was not on the expansion of the business Italian aircraft maintenance and manage- Kenn Ricci’s Directional Aviation in 2018—
SEA Prime, which manages the private but how to survive and understanding ment provider and long-term tenant Sirio, has had its own hangar at Linate since
aviation infrastructure at Milan Linate how to go on,” explained Baiardo. After SEA Prime will construct a new 4,500- 2001, its space is split between its main-
and Malpensa Airports under the Milano the lockdowns subsided, the company sq-m (48,500-sq-ft) hangar at Linate, tenance activities and aircraft storage on
Prime brand. “Our airports never closed began to reengage with its sustainability which will be able to accommodate air- behalf of its aircraft owners. This new pur-
operations even during the hard-luck goals, including acquiring a pair of new craft up to ACJs and BBJs. The €10 million pose-built hangar that will feature offices,
down months in March and April 2020.” BMW i3 electrically powered vehicles, ($12 million) facility, the 11th hangar on conference rooms, a parts warehouse, and
Speaking at EBACE Connect in May, which are used for “follow me” duties at the Milano Prime ramp, will be completed a built-in crane system for moving heavy
she noted that while the private aviation both airports. in 2022. components will remedy that. n
traffic numbers at the two airports are
still down from 2019, they are on a trend
to return to normal by next year.
Since the beginning of 2021, while
Europe’s private flight activity has been Brexit fallout shutting down LPV approaches at UK airports
up by 10.6 percent, Italy has been a front
runner, with movements up nearly 37 While the loss of unfettered access to the confirmed that the UK government could are “likely impacted by the loss of access to
percent. “The traffic, however, has been EU market has been a huge loss and frus- not agree to terms with the EU for continu- EGNOS.” This includes London Oxford Air-
merely domestic and inter-European, but tration to UK operators following Brexit, the ing to use the service. “The government port, which has been “aspiring” to establish
we are gradually seeing an increase of country’s departure from the bloc will soon recognizes that after this date [June 25] LPV approaches at the site for several years
intercontinental traffic,” explained Dorig- deal a blow for UK airspace users. Start- airspace users will not be able to benefit and said the loss of EGNOS access “takes
otti, adding that business at the Milano ing June 25, their ability to perform LPV from LPV approaches and instead, where us back to the drawing board.”
Prime general aviation terminal at Linate approaches will be removed following the possible, rely on lateral navigation proce- “Rather than pursuing a traditional
is up nearly 31 percent compared to the cessation on that date of the UK’s partici- dures,“ said Shapps. ILS approach solution for the southern
previous year, with a triple-digit increase pation in the space-based EGNOS position- He described the outcome of the dis- approach to our Runway 01—we already
in the first weeks of May alone. augmentation service, which supports cussion with the EU as “disappointing” and have ILS on Runway 19 for approaches
With the increasing efficacy of the approach guidance for landing aircraft. confirmed that the government has begun from the north—the GNSS/RNAV alterna-
Covid vaccines, the company is expect- LPV permits aircraft-guided approaches, work on exploring alternative options for pro- tive with an LPV-200 option was supposed
ing that trend to continue through the operationally equivalent to a Category 1 viding a commensurate navigation system. to be easier and less costly,” said James
remainder of the year with the news instrument landing system, but without This includes discussions with the UK Space Dillon-Godfray, London Oxford’s head of
that several of the city’s signature events, the need for ground-based navigation Agency for a dedicated UK replacement ser- business development.
including Design Week, Fashion Week, aid infrastructure. vice. “But it is, unfortunately, going to take Making greater utilization of the south-
and the Formula One Grand Prix are on In a letter dated March 18 to the Instru- some time and considerable investment to ern approach, he added, “would have
track to return as live events. ment Rated Pilots Organization, Secre- implement,” said Shapps. provided faster transition off the airways,
According to Fabio Baiardo, the com- tary of State for Transport Grant Shapps The CAA suggested 18 airports in the UK creating less noise, fewer emissions, and
pany’s operations manager, SEA Prime enhanced capacity and flows.”
instituted a full range of Covid mitigation The BBGA’s Marc Bailey described the
measures in response to the pandemic that UK’s decision not to continue with EGNOS
hit the region quite hard. Among them are as “fundamentally flawed.” This move, he
improved cleaning and sanitation; enforce- said, “shows a lack of understanding by
ment of social distancing; personal protec- the government about how important the
tion equipment for passengers, operators, facility is to the environment, safety, and the
and employees; paperless documentation; potential economic development of the UK
and the timely and constant flow of infor- aviation network.”
mation regarding new traveler require- Despite Shapps’s admission in his March
ments to handlers and operators, all of 18 letter that there is “little prospect of the
which earned it Hygiene Synopsis Certifi- UK government renewing negotiations with
cation from safety and quality audit pro- the European Commission on the matter,”
vider TÜV Italia. Bailey has called on fellow associations—
In addition, the company started a including AOPA, Airlines UK, and the Air-
partnership with Gruppo San Donato, port Operators Association—to help force a
the largest private hospital operator in rethink. “It is not too late to admit that this
Italy, to perform Covid nasal swab test- was a mistake,” he said. K.S.
ing immediately after arrival or before
12 EBACE Convention News \ June 2 0 2 1 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o mYEARS
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for you across any of our brands /marketing.ainonline.comcompanies that might be in a country
struggling with the pandemic or where
transportation issues may be a bit more
complex. However, he did say the com-
pany was watching the pricing of com-
modities as a result.
Many manufacturers have had to
work with their suppliers to ensure a
continued flow.
During the release of Spirit AeroSys-
tems’s year-end results, president and CEO
Tom Gentile outlined measures his com-
pany took to ensure a stable supply flow. “In
Pilatus is one of the last 12 months, we have provided assis-
the numerous tance to hundreds of suppliers. This support
manufacturers includes contract extensions, purchases of
that has struggled finished goods and raw materials, and ven-
with supply chain dor financing,” he said. “Our suppliers are
issues during the critical partners to our success and this
pandemic. level of support is important as we work to
secure our supply chain as production rates
recover over the next few years.”
UK-based Ontic, which specializes in spe-
Supplier issues loom March, Bunce stressed, “our supply chain
is very fragile….[manufacturers] have had
to stretch out delivery times because the
cialty legacy parts, has faced a similar situ-
ation. CEO Gareth Hall told AIN that the
company had also reached out to its suppli-
over industry recovery supply chain is very disrupted.”
An Across-the-board Issue
ers early on as concerns about their contin-
ued viability intensified, he said. Ontic even
offered to pay for some of its parts up front
by Kerry Lynch During GAMA’s State of the Industry to secure the future of its vendors, he said.
annual press conference in February, While most declined, it was a necessary
As business optimism improves Bunce first sounded the alarm about Bunce noted this was a topic throughout move for some and even with that offer, one
and business aviation prepares for a supply chain vulnerabilities right after his membership. “It’s across the board,” small long-time business could not survive.
post-pandemic rebound, lingering issues global shutdowns began to roll in from the he said. In fact, a GAMA survey of its JetNet iQ’s Vincent noted that with the
surrounding supply chain threaten to Covid-19 pandemic. A number of smaller members earlier this year found that 70 thousands of small companies aerospace
slow progress and hamper a full recovery, suppliers were forced to halt operations percent of the respondents reported manufacturers rely upon, it would take only
industry leaders agree. in the face of positive Covid-19 tests or experiencing supply chain issues that had a few to disrupt an entire production line.
Business optimism has reached levels regional restrictions. slowed production and deliveries. Mean-
not seen since the 2003 to 2007 time- This has been particularly critical since while, 50 percent had noted that they had Labor Pool Another Concern
frame, according to Rolland Vincent, the industry had transitioned to a just-in- to either limit or shut down operations Vincent and Bunce also raised concerns
JetNet iQ creator/director and president time approach toward managing its pro- due to national, regional, state, or local about a key issue moving forward: the
of Rolland Vincent Associates. Speaking duction flow. This marked a change from decisions or for economic reasons. labor pool. With the downsizing that
during a recent National Air Transporta- the days of stockpiling parts for produc- Many manufacturers and other aviation occurred over the last year, the fear is that
tion Association webinar, he added that tion predictability. Logistics had advanced businesses have publicly referenced those labor—and along with it, expertise—is lost.
economic signs were very encouraging to the point where ordering parts on- issues. GAMA chairman Nicolas Chabbert, During the NATA webinar, Vincent
and some forecasts suggest “rocketship- demand still provided predictability, even senior v-p of Daher’s Aircraft division emphasized that point. The industry
like” acceleration. with a global base of suppliers. and CEO of Daher Aircraft and Kodiak slowed down so quickly that it rapidly
Vincent also differentiated between Bunce warned early in the pandemic Aircraft, called it one of the top issues for shed its talent and disrupted the supply
this recovery and that of a decade ago that the “supply chain becomes very crit- the association, adding that “the industry chain, he added. “We need to bring peo-
with used aircraft transactions remaining ical to what the course will be as we go has had to adjust and mitigate so we can ple back into our industry who have either
strong and inventory low, and a return of through the rest of the year.” continue production.” He noted his com- been scared off or fired off. We also need
interest in the light-jet sector. Even so, A year into the pandemic, some of the pany has faced these issues. “We see the to find younger talent.”
Vincent warned that it could take a few dynamics have changed but many of the demand. My concern is supply.” Bunce expressed concern that even
years before the OEMs return to pre- same concerns linger. “It’s a combination Jet Aviation president Dave Paddock if the supplier is a sixth or seventh tier,
pandemic levels as supply chain con- of a lot of things,” Bunce said. Rolling shut- agreed. “We are facing new constraints,” it might require specific expertise that
straints temper overall industry growth. downs have continued globally and without he said during GAMA’s State of the Indus- could be lost to unemployment and then
He noted that most OEMs are forecasting predictability, preventing or stalling trans- try event. These constraints are partic- lured into another industry. “All of a sud-
flat growth at least for now. port of parts, he noted. Some locals have ularly noted on the completions side, den they get a brighter offer from some
General Aviation Manufacturers Asso- shut down factories, backlogging work. Paddock said. But maintenance activities other industry that loves that expertise
ciation president and CEO Pete Bunce Airlines often will carry parts in their also have experienced disruptions as it because these are highly skilled techni-
agrees with that sentiment. Bunce told cargo belly space, but many routes have has been difficult to move parts and mate- cians,” Bunce said. “If they get sucked
AIN that while his “crystal ball is no bet- been curtailed, shrinking that capac- rials around the globe. off to another industry, that hampers our
ter than the others, all the conditions are ity. During the pandemic, a significant In its year-end results released in April, ability to rebuild that expertise.”
right with demand out there. With the amount of commerce moved online, Pilatus Aircraft echoed those sentiments: To help buffer that trend, U.S. Congress
backlog that we have, we could have a requiring shipping “that is filling up all of “The biggest challenge was not only dealing in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan
really good 2021 and 2022.” the traditional cargo aircraft,” Bunce said. with the pandemic itself but, in particular, included a cost-sharing program to help
The business and general aviation In addition, some small shops have finding answers to disrupted supply chains aerospace manufacturers and maintenance
markets fared far better than the com- struggled to remain open as they have had and the threat of production delays.” organizations to retain or recall workers.
mercial sector during the pandemic, outbreaks or faced financial difficulties. Bombardier president and CEO Eric Bunce, who strongly backed that measure,
Bunce added. But he cautioned that sup- In other cases, companies have had to lay Martel said supply chain was an area said, “This program will help strengthen
ply chain issues remain an overarching off workers, eroding the talent base with where the company is constantly mon- our fragile supply chain, keep highly skilled
concern for both corners of the market, expertise that is hard to replace, he said. itoring—“We’re talking about it every workers in the industry, as well as support
noting that suppliers are intertwined in Explaining the global nature of the sup- week.” He praised his team for managing some of the smaller companies that need
both markets. ply base to a U.S. congressional panel in issues that cropped up, particularly with assistance to maintain operations.” n
14 EBACE Convention News \ June 2 0 2 1 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o mPandemic lessons: Ontic
looks to support suppliers
by Kerry Lynch
While many manufacturers have strug- counterintuitive pre-pandemic because
gled with logistics surrounding their people wanted to use low-cost regions
supply chains throughout the pandemic, as a solution. But because our business
UK-headquartered legacy parts manufac- model was basically low volume, high
turer Ontic benefited from relying on a mix, high complexity, our supply chain is
largely local supply base. However, Ontic almost without exception localized.”
had also learned lessons from its reliance That turned out to be a “huge initial
on a base of small suppliers, some of bonus for us” because Ontic did not have to
which were single sources for materials, navigate around cross-border restrictions. With a $230 million expansion set to begin at its Rotterdam refinery and a similar
according to CEO Gareth Hall. Ontic executives were able to visit most of project already underway at its Singapore location, Neste expects its annual output of
Ontic—which produces and/or sup- its suppliers early on and “really get a sense” sustainable alternative fuel to exponentially increase by 2023.
ports more than 7,000 parts for aircraft how the pandemic was affecting them.
ranging from the Sikorsky Sea King and “I wouldn’t say we weren’t impacted,”
Bell 206 to the Gulfstream IV and Boeing Hall added, but the primary concerns of
Neste moving forward with plans to
777 and engines such as the Pratt & Whit- obtaining the necessary materials and
ney JT15D—faced a range of uncertainties components for its manufacturing oper-
expand sustainable fuel refinery
when the pandemic spread globally. ations were reduced. However, the big- Major sustainable fuel producer Neste has industry in 2019. The SAF component of
Its first focus was managing the employ- gest risk revolved around the impact of finally greenlit a long-discussed expansion the blended Neste fuel can offer an up
ment base: ensuring that those who could the pandemic on smaller shops and the project at its Rotterdam refinery. Requir- to 80 percent lifecycle carbon-emissions
work from home do so, enhancing clean- potential for closures from either the ing an outlay of approximately $231 million, reduction over the same volume of con-
ing guidelines (Hall called those helping virus or financial constraints. the expansion, which is expected to be ventional jet fuel it replaces.
with that effort the “unsung heroes” of Worried about its suppliers suffering completed by mid-2023, will add another “We have made a commitment to
the pandemic), and employing practices from cash-flow issues, Ontic approached 500,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel support our customers to reduce green-
such as bubble groupings to limit virus its smaller suppliers and offered them pre- (SAF) a year to the plant’s annual capacity. house gas emissions by up to 20 mil-
spread opportunities. payment to help get them through the ini- Neste’s current output capacity for SAF lion tons by 2030,” said Peter Vanacker,
Ontic determined that it was deemed tial part of the pandemic. “It was a really is 100,000 tons a year, but combined with president and CEO of the Finland-based
an essential business, but it did shut down interesting response, not one you would upgrades underway at the company’s fuel supplier, citing SAF’s considerable
for a day “really just to kind of assess what expect,” Hall said. Roughly two-thirds Singapore production facility, that total is potential in that arena. “As the aviation
we needed to do and make sense of the turned down the offer, saying they did not expected to increase more than tenfold— industry is likely to resume on a growth
guidance because it was emerging. It was need the prepayment at the moment but to 1.5 million tons—each year by the end of trajectory after its recovery from the
less than clear at the time,” Hall said. that Ontic should use that upfront cash 2023. There is certainly room for growth Covid-19 pandemic, there is a growing
However, its focus quickly turned to to support others that were in need of it. in the field, as SAF accounted for just 0.01 need and urgency to act on aviation-
maintaining its supplier base, he noted. “I think that’s probably a different percent of all fuel used by the aviation related emissions.” C.E.
“Once we realized we could stay open and behavior than you would normally see,”
we can keep our people safe, our next con- Hall said, but he added that the response
cern is obviously the supply chain.” “probably defined the mood at the time.”
With advancements in logistics, many Ontic did end up making some signif-
manufacturers have turned to a global icant investments with certain suppli- “They had been in business for a long time.” batches of relatively small parts, finding
supply base and just-in-time delivery. But ers, relying on trust and goodwill, but it But overall the company was able to mini- transport options was a little easier.
Ontic, which has operations in the UK, was “by far the right thing to do,” he said, mize that impact. Having said that, Hall also Regarding business demand, Ontic
California, New York, and North Caro- adding that it has paid dividends both in noted that the experience did cause an eval- did not see “too much degradation” in
lina, has largely relied on a regional and terms of maintaining supply and helping uation of how to approach its supply base. its business aviation work, with most of
national supplier base. “There’s a lot of businesses survive. Ontic did consider acquiring some of the the drop coming from its business involv-
debate around supply chain,” Hall said. Ontic did lose one machine shop that smaller, at-risk operations but concluded ing airliners. However, military demand
“Having a localized supply chain was closed permanently, Hall said, adding, that that wasn’t necessarily a solution. As picked up, Hall said, and Ontic found that
the major business for small suppliers, by cross-training its technicians, it was
Ontic typically received really good ser- able to shift work to where demand was.
vice from them, he noted. “The downside Ontic also saw customers moving up
was that during these circumstances, they orders as it navigated through the pan-
became high risk because they didn’t have demic and priorities changed. This caused
flexibility,” he said. “It made us go back and some challenges to ensure it could meet
reassess which suppliers we have that could shifting demand, Hall said. In addition,
represent a single point of failure.” OEMs have begun to “rethink their strat-
Ontic is now looking at possibilities for egies” toward their in-house product
multiple suppliers to build in redundancy portfolios. This has spurred multiple con-
and balance risk. versations about transferring some of that
Hall was encouraged that taking some work to Ontic, he said.
of the proactive steps to protect its supply What might be more of value to them to
chain will help the company come out in keep in-house pre-pandemic may be dif-
a strong position. ferent post-pandemic, Hall said. “There’s
While Ontic relies on a supply base, it a number of organizations going through
too is a supplier, of parts that OEMs no that review. Because of our unique posi-
longer support. But Hall said the com- tion in the market and the relationships
Ontic, which supports a range of legacy parts for a variety of products such as for the Pratt & pany did not encounter the issues that that we have with the OEMs, we are in a
Whitney JT15D, jumped in to support its smaller supplier base as concerns for the long-term some large-component suppliers faced. good position to participate in those con-
viability of those shops began to surface during the pandemic. Because Ontic primarily produces small versations and then offer a solution.” n
a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ June 2 0 2 1 \ EBACE Convention News 15You can also read
